Fighter Pilot

Product Notes

Fighter Pilot is the result of a series of artistic collaborations between composers Travis Johns and Daniel Mintz, recorded over a three-month period in 2003. Concentrating on finding the elusive 'ghost in the machine,' the duo employs an array of acoustic and electronic instruments, creating a sound that is equally as soothing, as it is unnerving. From Lost at Sea.net Fighter Pilot is the collaboration of Travis Johns and Dan Mintz, students of the Oberlin Conservatory's TIMARA department. If that sounds artsy and impressive, it's probably because it is - there's a lot of brains to back up that beauty, and the group is a nice representative of both. Featuring warm electronic instrumentals, their untitled debut is at times organic or deceptively concise, but always densely layered. There's a lot to take in and doubtless places for one's imagination to run free. 'Phase' and 'Reforestation' are particularly striking, and are personally the most affecting listens. 'Phase' is a perplexingly short track, channeling the frightening darkness of a damp, uninviting cellar. It is bleak and corrosive, hinting at rusting pipes and hidden dangers. 'Reforestation,' then, is a complete turn at the album's end - a lengthy exploration of supernatural hopefulness. It balances the arresting beauty of Aphex Twin's 'Flim' with the crushed-yet-airy nature of Bjork's 'Sun in My Mouth.' It feels like a hymn cried out to the Great Unknown, reassuringly clinging to rescue fantasies. Through every shift and tangent, the disc requires a receptive audience - which is, unfortunately, an attribute it can't always count on. If played to an inattentive listener, it would likely slip right by, offering a quiet hum of unobtrusive background noise. This oversight doesn't give the duo justice, however, because when absorbed in greater concentration, there's a lot here to be enjoyed. Every thought or feeling you pour in with your own interpretation will rightly be explored; Fighter Pilot proves a complex, deliberate amplifier for self-discovery.

Credits

Fighter Pilot is the result of a series of artistic collaborations between composers Travis Johns and Daniel Mintz, recorded over a three-month period in 2003. Concentrating on finding the elusive 'ghost in the machine,' the duo employs an array of acoustic and electronic instruments, creating a sound that is equally as soothing, as it is unnerving. From Lost at Sea.net Fighter Pilot is the collaboration of Travis Johns and Dan Mintz, students of the Oberlin Conservatory's TIMARA department. If that sounds artsy and impressive, it's probably because it is - there's a lot of brains to back up that beauty, and the group is a nice representative of both. Featuring warm electronic instrumentals, their untitled debut is at times organic or deceptively concise, but always densely layered. There's a lot to take in and doubtless places for one's imagination to run free. 'Phase' and 'Reforestation' are particularly striking, and are personally the most affecting listens. 'Phase' is a perplexingly short track, channeling the frightening darkness of a damp, uninviting cellar. It is bleak and corrosive, hinting at rusting pipes and hidden dangers. 'Reforestation,' then, is a complete turn at the album's end - a lengthy exploration of supernatural hopefulness. It balances the arresting beauty of Aphex Twin's 'Flim' with the crushed-yet-airy nature of Bjork's 'Sun in My Mouth.' It feels like a hymn cried out to the Great Unknown, reassuringly clinging to rescue fantasies. Through every shift and tangent, the disc requires a receptive audience - which is, unfortunately, an attribute it can't always count on. If played to an inattentive listener, it would likely slip right by, offering a quiet hum of unobtrusive background noise. This oversight doesn't give the duo justice, however, because when absorbed in greater concentration, there's a lot here to be enjoyed. Every thought or feeling you pour in with your own interpretation will rightly be explored; Fighter Pilot proves a complex, deliberate amplifier for self-discovery.